Chelsea seem to have lost steam under new manager Liam Rosenior after a bright start. The Blues suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of London rivals Arsenal over the weekend, resulting in them slipping down to sixth position in the Premier League table.
One of the glaring issues for Chelsea this season has been the lapses in their defence. The lack of experience is clearly showing. And the situation has been further worsened by injuries to key defenders.
The same shortcoming cropped up against Arsenal once again. Both of the goals from the Gunners were scored from corners, and Chelsea certainly could have dealt with them better.
Gary Neville questions Liam Rosenior’s tactics involving Reece James
Gary Neville has recently pointed out a flaw in Rosenior’s tactics during corners, which involves club captain Reece James. While speaking on The Gary Neville podcast, the Manchester United legend stated:
“I felt sorry for Reece James actually, specifically on corners because he was given the task of blocking Gabriel. And I just think you’re overcomplicating it. I know what they’re trying to do with that.
“They’re trying to get Reece James, who’s quite stocky in build, to block him before he makes his run. But it becomes about a height thing in the end. And I just think that Reece James ordinarily would never pick up the best header of the ball in the opposition team.”
Chelsea have missed the services of Levi Colwill since the start of the season. Lately, Marc Cucurella has also picked up an injury, which has coincided with the downturn in form under Rosenior. So, needless to say, the manager needs to get his tactics spot on with starters missing, which wasn’t the case against Arsenal, and the Blues paid the price for it.
Liam Rosenior has a lot to prove at Chelsea
Rosenior, who was appointed as the manager not too long ago after the sacking of Enzo Maresca, has a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders. While it’s impossible to get his tactics right every time, he can surely improve some aspects of the current Chelsea play, starting with their defence.
Moreover, Rosenior hasn’t yet proven his mettle against top European sides. The away win against Napoli in the Champions League is the biggest result he has gotten in his managerial career so far.
That said, it won’t be much longer before a big European test arrives for Rosenior. Chelsea are set to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16.
Notably, Maresca completely outplayed Paris Saint-Germain the last time the two teams met. They won 3-0 in the Club World Cup final last summer. So this would further increase the pressure on Rosenior to deliver. If the Blues can’t win, and especially if they lose in one-sided fashion, questions will be raised about their decision to sack the Italian in favour of the unproven former Strasbourg boss.
